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Friday, 3 August 2012

Blog Tour: Arson by Estevan Vega

As part of the Arson tour hosted by AToMr book blog tours, I will be spotlighting one of the characters. First here's a little about the book.

Title: ArsonAuthor: Estevan Vega

ARSON GABLE FEELS LIKE A FREAK. HE CAN CREATE
FIRE. HE NEVER ASKED FOR IT. HE NEVER WANTED IT. BUT HE CAN'T SHUT IT OFF.

Before now, three
things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was
going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl--who feels more normal
behind a mask than inside her own skin--moves in next door, Arson hopes to find
something he's never had: purpose. After years of living in fear, he will be
forced to confront his haunting past and embrace the unknown as he walks the
fine line between boy and monster. Edgy, realistic, and breathtaking, Arson,
the chilling chronicle of an isolated teenager with unimaginable ability, is
set to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.

Meet Abraham. Member of the
hospice unit at Middlesex Hospital. He adds a bit of levity to the story of
ARSON. After Arson screws up royally, Emery convinces him to volunteer with her
for an afternoon at the hospital where her neurotic mother works as a nurse.
Here, I introduce Abraham Finch, the most unique character at the hospital.
Just don’t take him too seriously.

They moved down the
hallway and entered room 219. Arson hadn’t even checked the information hanging
on the wall outside the door.

“Look who it is, my
daily pain in the butt.” The voice belonged to a tired-looking, elderly man
perched up in his bed. “And she brought a friend.”

“Hello, Abraham,”
Emery replied plainly. “It’s a pleasure to see you too.”

“Now, I’m not dead
just yet. Come on over here and give an old man a hug.”

“Don’t mind him,”
she said, turning to Arson. “I’m guessing he didn’t get a whole lot of action
when he was younger, so now he’s kind of a flirt.”

“Abraham, watch what
you say,” Emery said, noticing the old man smirk.

He glanced up at
her, mocked her while her back was turned, and continued. “How long have you
two been…canoodling?”

“Abraham, you’re a
bum, you know that?”

“What? It’s an
honest question. What’s a boy gonna be spending his summer volunteering for if
he ain’t at least dating you? Shoot, I think hell would’ve frozen over before I
stepped foot in a place like this at your age.”

“Well, fortunately
for you, everyone’s not so ornery. You know, it’s only my second day, and
already you’re acting fresh. Besides, this boy and I aren’t together.”

“That’s not what it
looks like to me.”

“Well, maybe I
should buy you a new pair of glasses.”

“Ouch! This one
doesn’t go quietly.” Abe’s eyes got big and wide.

Arson stepped a
little closer to the bed, intrigued by the man, who appeared as threatening as
a stuffed animal, wrapped inside the sheets, soft buoyant cheeks puffing at the
surface. His coffee-colored skin seemed loosely draped around sagging muscles
and brittle bones.

Emery got up and
poured Abe a cup of water.

“Didn’t I ask you to
bring me something with a little more flavor?” he said.

“The powers that be
won’t let me sneak alcohol into room 219 or any other room, for that matter. I
guess you’re gonna have to stay sober.”

“Fine. Living was
hard enough. Didn’t think dying would be this hard. Man, oh man, somebody could
be dying and they won’t even give him a drink to help ease the pain.”

“He’s good at making
you feel guilty, but don’t fall for it, Arson. He just wants some booze.”

“Okay, suit
yourself. But when I come to haunt you from the grave, you’ll know why.” The
old man removed his glasses and made an attempt at trying to creep her out, but
the wrinkles inside his brown mug made him look like more of a snarling pug
than anything that was supposed to scare her.

“So have you kissed
her yet? By the time I was your age, I’d kissed four gals.” Abe held up four
fingers, as if he were trying to make sure he could still count.

“Oh, Mr. Finch,
that’s fresh.”

“I know, but I’m
trying to have a little bit of fun before I check out of this place. It kinda
feels like purgatory. A waiting place before, you know, the afterlife
crapstorm.”

“Abraham Finch, keep
it down. Don’t get so worked up. I’d bring some sun-tanning lotion at the rate
you’re going.”

“I’m sorry I’m not a
pale-faced, virgin priest, but I seen some things in my day. I lived my life.
Spent too much time being modest and not enough time saying it like it is.”

“Well, say it like
it is when other nurses and volunteers are catering to you.”

“Like your mother?
She’s a pretty lady, Emery.”

Emery didn’t
respond.

“Soft subject,”
Arson whispered.

“So, Arson,” Abe
continued, changing the direction of the conversation, “you have quite a unique
name. I like it. Say, I’m a bit curious, do you like matches, kid?”

“Abraham, if you can’t
behave—”

He folded his lips
together and replied, “You’ll what? Pass on over to room 220? Lord knows I’m a
dream compared to Peggy the hippo.”

“Mrs. Yeshur is not
as mean or as plump as you think she is. What’s gotten into you?”

“Depression,
constipation. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m in a hospice unit. Have some
compassion, for crying out loud!”

“Please. You and I
both know you’re going to outlive us all.”

“What good is that
if I ain’t got nothing to numb the pain of cruel and unusual volunteers?”

“I suppose you think
you’re funny, huh? Fine.” She prepared to take the cup of water away.

“Wait a minute. I’m
not finished with that, thank you.” He wore a sly grin, showcasing what decay
and nicotine had left behind.

“Oh, now he’s content with water,” she said.

“Don’t have much of
a choice, do I?” Abe answered, his voice throaty and wet.

“Forgive me for
caring about your health,” Emery said.

“Sweetheart, those
uppity white suits say my number should’ve been up days ago. But I’ve been here
for weeks, and I’m still kicking, ain’t I? If anything’s killing me, it’s this
place, this bed. I don’t think a sip of gin is gonna send me to the grave now.
Besides, if it does, I’d welcome that black-hooded fool with open arms. Heck,
I’d give him a sip.”

“Look, Abraham, it’s
my job to help you, without booze. I happen to care about you,” Emery said.
“I’m not sure why, but I do. Guess you’re like the grandpa I never had.”

“You never had a
granddaddy?”

“Or a grandmother.
They all checked out before I was born.”

“What a shame.” Abe
was crestfallen. “How about you, kid?”

“I have a
grandmother,” Arson said. “Her name is Kay.”

“You love her?”

Arson hesitated.
“Yeah.”

“Good. You gotta
cherish the ones you love. Don’t leave her in a place like this to rot. It’s
downright cruel. Why haven’t any of my babies come to visit me? I paid my dues
in this world, Emery. Loved a good woman, raised beautiful babies, fought them
blasted fools in Korea. Maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe I’m paying for all the
abuse I did to this big, black carcass of mine. Lung cancer ain’t exactly a
walk in the park, you know.” His voice quivered with a deep rasp, and he
started to cough.

“I’m sorry, Abraham.
I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.” Emery rubbed his shoulder. “But
you have me and Arson here to keep you company. Whatever you need.”

“Some gin would be
nice.”

Emery breathed
deeply, ignoring the request of the old man.

She punched Arson in
the chest. “Come on, Robin. He’s never gonna quit asking. Besides, we’ve got
our rounds to make before we head home. Gotham needs us. Goodbye, Abraham.”

As they left the
room, Arson felt strange. Maybe it was relief; he wasn’t quite sure. For the
few moments he’d spent with Abe, he wondered if there was any hope left. But
then he turned back and for a split second focused all of his attention on the
frail man lying in the bed, a bed that might as well have

been his coffin. He
saw Abe looking out the window with a vacant stare in his eyes.

Heaven seemed so far
away.

So what do you guys think of Abraham? The Arson blog tour is running from July 30th - August 4th. Make sure you check all the other tour stops here. On a side note, I think the male model for the cover of Arson, is quite hot, I can't stop staring at the cover!

I'm in a bit of a time crunch, so I didn't go through the excerpt, but I really want to read this book. I mean that cover is awesome! I agree about the model being pretty hot. ;) Thanks for sharing, Jasprit!

First off, I love the word canoodling. (': And I really love the sound of Abe. Old people are just awesome, to be honest. He sounds like one of thos people who can have a great laugh, but deep down they care so much.<3 I'd love to meet him!

Ooooo Abe's a bit feisty, I like that:) It's nice that being confined to a hospital bed hasn't drained him of all his vibrancy, and he's still full of personality. Thanks for sharing this excerpt with us Jasprit!

Ooh, I've been seeing this book quite a lot lately and based from the excerpt above it does sounds like a good one. Abraham sounds like a fun character. But the last part kinda make me feel sad for him. Thanks for sharing, Jasprit! Gotta check this book out someday. :)

Thanks so much to Jasprit for hosting me today! This tour has been a blast and has been full of great tour stops and awesome readers! I feel blessed. I'm glad you awesome peeps liked the excerpt, and I so hope you get a chance to check out ARSON. Don't think you'll be disappointed. There's something for everybody. Keep it real, and thanks for spreading the fire!